Home Blog Page 365

Auckland supermarket terrorist: Government unsuccessfully tried to strip his refugee status

By
Sisi Latu
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission. 

The government spent more than four years trying to deport the man responsible for the west Auckland supermarket terrorist attack.

03092021 PHOTO: ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF L-R: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster hold a press conference with the details of the Auckland supermarket terror attack in the Beehive Theatrette on Friday evening.

Jacinda Ardern made inquiries about Samsudeen’s refugee status and deportation options in May 2018. Photo: POOL / Stuff / Robert Kitchin

But repeated attempts to have him stripped of his refugee status were ultimately unsuccessful, hamstrung by what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called a “frustrating process”.

Last night, suppression orders that prevented the publication of details about the terrorist’s identity, background and immigration status lapsed.

He can now be named as 32-year-old Sri Lankan national Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen.

It can also be revealed immigration authorities were trying to have his refugee status revoked, because it was believed it was fraudulently obtained.

But Samsudeen himself had claimed in the courts that he could be arrested, detained, mistreated or tortured if he was ever sent back to Sri Lanka.

The terrorist’s refugee status

Samsudeen was a Tamil Muslim. He left Sri Lanka, arriving in New Zealand on a student visa in 2011.

He sought refugee status, saying he and his father experienced serious problems with the Sri Lankan authorities due to their political background.

His initial application was declined in 2012, because Immigration New Zealand found his claim lacked credibility.

An appeal was lodged, and Samsudeen was recognised as a refugee by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal in December 2013.

But in May 2018 he was notified that authorities wanted to revoke his refugee status, which would mean he would be deported.

Samsudeen appealed again.

He was already on the radar of the police and the Security Intelligence Service – he had received a formal warning in 2016 for posting violent, extremist, pro-Islamic State content online.

Ardern said it was over the course of those investigations that Immigration New Zealand was made aware of information that led them to believe Samsudeen’s refugee status was fraudulently obtained.

At the time he was notified about the intention to revoke his refugee status, Samsudeen was before the courts.

He was arrested in 2017 at Auckland Airport, when it was suspected he was on his way to Syria.

When police searched his apartment, they found a large hunting knife under the mattress on the floor and secure digital cards containing fundamentalist material, including propaganda videos and photos of the man posing with a firearm.

Samsudeen ended up pleading guilty to distributing restricted publications and was sentenced on that offending in September 2018 to supervision.

In July 2018, he had been granted name suppression by Justice Wylie.

In his decision on that, Justice Wylie said Samsudeen said he “has been attacked, kidnapped and tortured, that he went into hiding in response to those incidents, and that he came to New Zealand in 2011 to seek refugee status”.

Samsudeen told the court: “I’m very afraid of returning to Sri Lanka because I’m afraid of the authorities there and the same risks and fears [that] I had when I left my country are still there in Sri Lanka.

“Also young Tamil men face many serious problems in Sri Lanka from the authorities. We face arrest, detention, mistreatment and torture as we’re always under suspicions by the authorities because of the [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam].”

Justice Wylie said that there was a “real and appreciable possibility” that in the event Samsudeen did have his refugee status revoked and was deported, his safety could be in danger.

The involvement of the highest levels of government

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made inquiries about Samsudeen’s refugee status and deportation options in May 2018. Yesterday she gave a media briefing which provided some more details on the man’s situation.

In February 2019, Immigration New Zealand cancelled his refugee status and he was served with deportation liability notices.

But in April 2019, he appealed the decision to the Immigration Protection Tribunal.

At the time, he was remanded in custody, awaiting a High Court trial on a second set charges relating to offending committed while he was on bail for the first set of charges in August 2018.

He had been arrested after buying another hunting knife and a second search of his room found a large amount of violent Isis material.

Samsudeen’s appeal against his deportation could not proceed until the conclusion of those court proceedings.

In May this year, a jury found him guilty of two charges of possessing Isis propaganda that promoted terrorism and one charge of failing to comply with a search.

He was acquitted of a third charge of possessing objectionable material and a charge of possessing a knife in a public place.

After spending three years remanded in custody, Samsudeen was sentenced in July to 12 months’ supervision.

In the meantime, Ardern said agencies were concerned about the risk Samsudeen posed to the community.

“They also knew he may be released from prison, and that his appeal through the Tribunal, which was stopping his deportation, may take some time.”

Immigration New Zealand looked at whether the law would allow them to detain Samsudeen while his deportation appeal was heard.

“It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating when legal advice came back to say this wasn’t an option,” Ardern said.

Extensive police surveillance and monitoring of Samsudeen began as soon as he was released from prison.

On 26 August, Samsudeen’s hearing in the Immigration and Protection Tribunal was rescheduled.

At the time of the terrorist attack, the question of whether or not he could be deported was unresolved.

“This has been a frustrating process,” Ardern said.

“Since 2018, ministers have been seeking advice on our ability to deport this individual.”

Ardern said in July this year she met with officials in person and expressed her concern that the law could allow someone to remain here, who obtained their immigration status fraudulently and posed a threat to national security.

“I asked for work to be undertaken to look at whether we should amend our law, in the context of our international obligations,” she said.

All Blacks banish Perth demons

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The All Blacks have completed a three-nil sweep of the Wallabies in this year’s Bledisloe Cup series, despite being reduced to 14 men in the third test in Perth.

They have beaten Australia 38-21 after leading 18-0 at halftime to move atop the Rugby Championship standings after two of six rounds.

The All Blacks completed the sweep without new captain Ardie Savea, who along with hooker Codie Taylor was unable to play any part in the second-half after they failed head injury assessments at halftime.

The Wallabies won 47-26 the last time the two sides met in Perth, where lock Scott Barrett was red carded.

This time around fullback Jordie Barrett was sent off after being deemed to have kicked Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete in the face when he was catching a high ball.

He was given his marching orders in the 28th minute, 10 minutes after he had scored New Zealand’s first try, after a clever grubber kick from older brother Beauden Barrett.

The All Blacks led 13-0 at the time, with Beauden Barrett having kicked a couple of penalties and a conversion.

The Wallabies weren’t able to capitalise on their numerical superiority and they ended up trailing by 18 points at the break when David Havili scored from a well worked lineout drive on the stroke of halftime.

The All Blacks kept Australia scoreless until the 50th minute, when Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga’a crashed over, moments after New Zealand were back to 15 men.

Damian McKenzie replaced Jordie Barrett under a new law being adopted in the Rugby Championship.

Lolesio converted the try to give the Wallabies hope at 18-7.

That hope quickly evaporated when the All Blacks scored two tries in six minutes to take a 28-7 lead.

Will Jordan scored the first in the right corner after some individual brilliance from Akira Ioane, who beat three players on halfway and then drew in the fullback to send Jordan over.

Havili then intercepted a wayward Australian pass to run 70 odd metres to score his second to the left of the uprights.

Replacement halfback Nic White grabbed a try back for Australia in the 66th minute before Anton Lienert-Brown and George Bridge scored two great team tries for the All Blacks to stretch the lead to 38-14.

Fullback Tom Banks scored a late consolation try for the Wallabies to cut the deficit to 17 points, that would have been far greater if it wasn’t for some wayward goal kicking from Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie.

The All Blacks and Wallabies will now fly across Australia to Queensland, where the remainder of the Rugby Championship will be played.

Gold Coast will host a double-header next Sunday, with the All Blacks to play Argentina before the Wallabies square off against the world champion Springboks.

Minister says Tongans must learn to keep their community safe as he opens Language Week

By
Kalino Latu
-

Minister for Pacific People Aupito William Sio said this afternoon the Tongan community had to concentrate not just on formal education, but on learning to keep their community safe.

Hon Aupito William Sio MP for Māngere Minister for Pacific Peoples, and Courts Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education (Pacific Peoples), Justice, and Health (Pacific Peoples)

The theme of this week’s Tongan Language Week is Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Ako Lelei, which means enriching Aotearoa with holistic education.

Hon. Sio, who is also the Member for Mangere, said young people should also feel comfortable learning their language, culture and geneaology.

Speaking from his backyard, the Minister said Language week was being launched online as a way of keeping the community safe from Covid-19.

He said the government would encourage Island communities to be vaccinated over the next four months.

He said this included children over 12.

The Minister emphasised that vaccination was safe and effective and urged people to become educated about the facts rather than being misled by misinformation.

He said vaccination and support was available to everybody, regardless of status. Nobody would be asked to provide ID or a passport.

The Minister was launching Tongan Language week, which will run until September 11.

The launch was preceded by a blessing from the Rev. Setaita Kinahoi Veikune.

Following  the Minister’s speech, members of the community spoke online and presented musical and cultural items.

While this afternoon’s launch was a serious affair, an apparent mistake by the organisers of the Tongan Language Week caused amusement this morning.

The promotional banners and postings shared online included a static banner which mistranslated the English phrase Good Bye as ‘Alu ā (to those staying) while in fact, it should be ‘Alu ā to those leaving. They correctly translated Good-bye’s other meaning as Nofo ā, for those staying.

The Dr Maxwell Tongan-English dictionary translates Good-Bye as ‘Alu ā (to person going) and Nofo ā (to person remaining) which are also correct versions of  English translations of the phrase.

The apparent mishap  attracted some jests on social media with some saying this type of mistake should not come from organisers as a small mistake could cause a lot of confusion especially to the majority of Tongan children living in Auckland whose Tongan is not fluent.

Prof. Tevita ‘O Ka’ili of the Taulanga Tufungalea Facebook group (Tongan Words World) posted a correction to the group with a red line crossing the mistake and a written correction on top of the mistake.

 

Covid-19 update: 20 new community cases reported in New Zealand today

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

There were 20 new community cases of Covid-19 reported today, according to the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at today’s government briefing, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said 79 people had now and the total number of active cases had dropped to 722.

Watch the latest government update here:

There were also 20 new community cases – and one death – reported yesterday, while 28 new cases were reported on Friday.

Dr Bloomfield said the fall in numbers showed the lockdown was slowing the spread of the virus

All of the new cases reported today are in Auckland.

Dr Bloomfield said 38 people are in Auckland hospitals. Six of of them in ICU or HDU and four are being ventilated.

“Our thoughts remain with these individuals who are unwell and indeed with their families in what is a stressful time.”

Follow all the latest developments with RNZ’s live blog.

Bloomfield expressed condolences to the family of the woman who died and endorsed their message – “this is real”.

He said there were 38,120 individuals in the contact tracing system. This is 1 in 130 New Zealanders, which shows the precautionary approach to outbreak.

– more to come…

Anti-drugs campaigner’s supporters divided over accusations made against Princess

By
Kalino Latu
-

Claims made by former drug user Afimeimo’unga Hola about Princess Pilolevu have split his supporters.

Afemeimo’unga hola leading a protest march against illicit drugs in Tonga. Photo/Facebook

Two sides of Tongan political society who are often divided – the Democrats and the royalists – were united in their support of Hola’s campaign against drugs.

However, when he made accusations against the Princess, which have resulted in court action, the royal supporters turned against him.

The Princess had described the allegations as lies and is suing Hola for TOP$10,000.

Hola has been widely supported by the PTOA Kolope Foundation (Democrats) supporters with chapters from the US, New Zealand and Australia raising TOP$22,000 to pay for his lawyers and legal fees.

Hola has been the centre of media attention this year as a former user who has become an anti-drugs campaigner, working with school children and warning them of the evil nature of the trade.

He has been described as the first major crusader against drugs in Tonga

However, he has also been a divisive figure and has received death threats following his allegations. One person from Tongatapu, threatened to kill a member of his family. Another, apparently living in Hawai’i, went online and threatened to send hitmen after him.

It has been claimed that both people were royalists.

Despite initially vowing to kill the person in Tongatapu, Hola later said he had forgiven him.

The threats were made in the wake of Hola’s claims about Princess Pilolevu.

Princess Pilolevu’s two sons-in-law, Sione Filipe Jr and ‘Epeli Taione have been arrested and charged in relation to illicit drugs. Taione, who was charged with possession of Class A drugs, received a 12-month suspended imprisonment sentence early this year.

Hola is expected to re-appear in court on September 24.

He has been banned by the courts from using Facebook and the internet because his case is before the magistrate’s court.

LynnMall terrorist named after suppression orders lapse

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Sarah Robson of RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The man responsible for Friday afternoon’s terror attack in a west Auckland supermarket can now be named as Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen.

A photo of Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen from one of his since-deleted Facebook pages where he posted messages supporting terrorist group Isis. Photo / Supplied (NZ Herald)

The 32-year-old Sri Lankan national was shot dead by police after stabbing six people inside Countdown LynnMall. A seventh person was also injured in the attack.

Suppression orders have prevented details about his identity and background from being made public.

They have now lapsed and it can be revealed immigration authorities were seeking to have Samsudeen’s refugee status revoked.

He arrived in New Zealand in October 2011 on a student visa and was granted refugee status in December 2013.

But almost five years later, Samsudeen was told plans were underway to cancel it – which he appealed.

In the intervening years, Samsudeen had come to the attention of the police for his extremist, violent, pro-Islamic State views.

He got a formal warning in 2016 for posting extremist content online and in 2017 he was arrested at Auckland Airport, when it was suspected he was on his way to Syria.

When police searched his apartment, they found a large hunting knife under the mattress on the floor and secure digital cards containing fundamentalist material, including propaganda videos and photos of the man posing with a firearm.

He ended up pleading guilty to distributing restricted publications and was sentenced on that offending in September 2018 to supervision.

But in August 2018, while he was on bail awaiting sentencing, he was arrested again after he bought another hunting knife.

A second search also found a large amount of violent Isis material.

In May this year, a jury found him guilty of two charges of possessing Isis propaganda that promoted terrorism and one charge of failing to comply with a search.

He was acquitted of a third charge of possessing objectionable material and a charge of possessing a knife in a public place.

After spending three years remanded in custody, Samsudeen was sentenced in July to 12 months’ supervision.

The suppression orders

Samsudeen was granted name suppression by Justice Wylie in the High Court in July 2018.

At that stage, his refugee status was uncertain and the suppression order was to remain in place until that was determined.

Justice Wylie said at the time the order was made, there was a risk that if he was deported to Sri Lanka, his safety would be in danger.

As it stands, Samsudeen’s appeal of the notice of intention to cancel his refugee status has not been completed.

But on Friday night, the Crown filed an urgent application in the High Court to have the suppression orders lifted.

In a decision late on Friday night, Samsudeen’s name suppression was revoked.

But Justice Wylie gave his lawyers a further 24 hours to contact his family about whether they wanted to seek fresh suppression orders.

Following a second hearing on Saturday afternoon, Justice Wylie ruled that details about Samsudeen’s immigration status and the reasons for his claim to refugee status can be made public.

Usually, by law, the fact someone is claiming refugee status – and the reasons for that – must be kept confidential if it would identify them or endanger their safety.

Justice Wylie concluded those obligations no longer apply.

FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA

Kuo tuku mai e hingoa ‘o e tangata tautoitoi Nu’u Sila ne fana’i ‘o mate ‘aneafi he’ene fakalavea ne fai’. Ko Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen ta’u 32 ‘o Sri Lanka. Na’a’ ne tū’uta ‘i Nu’u Sila’ ni he 2011 ‘i ha visa ako.  Ko e toko fitu na’a nau lavea he ‘ohofi fakatautoitoi ko ‘eni ‘i ‘Okalani’. Toko nima ‘i falemahaki, ‘a ia ko e tolu ‘oku lavea lalahi pea toko ua ‘oku fakaakeake ‘i ‘api. Ko e toko fā ko e kau fefine ta’u 29, 43, 60 mo e 66 pea mo e kau tangata ta’u 53, 57 mo 77. . Na’e a’u ‘o miniti ‘e ua mo e konga ‘a e ‘ohofi na’e fai’ ki mu’a pea fana’i ‘e he kau polisi’ ‘a e tokotaha’ ni ‘o mate. Na’e faingata’a ‘a hono muimui’i ofi ‘o  Samsudeen koe’uhi ko e loka ‘a Nu’u Sila ‘o ‘ikai tokolahi e kakai’ ne ‘i he Countdown ke lava tukutoi mo panaki ai ‘a hono muimui’i ia ‘e he kau polisi’. Ko e me’a ne hoko’ ko ‘enau tuku toi mama’o holo pe mo siofi ‘ene mafihunga’. Ki mu’a ‘eni’. na’e muimui’i holo pe ia ‘i he ‘aho ‘e 53 ki mu’a’ pea ‘i he taimi ‘e taha ne a’u ki he kau ‘ōfisa polisi ‘e toko 30 ne nau toi’i holo’. Ko e hili ia hono tuku mai mei pilīsone ‘i hano faka’ilo ‘i he ngaahi ‘uhinga fakatautoitoi pea mo e ‘osi ‘a e ngaahi halanga fakalao kotoa he feinga ai ‘a e kau polisi’ ke lava ke kei tauhi pe ‘i pilīsone ka ne ‘ikai ha ola.

Fiji entry only for fully vaccinated travellers say govt

By
Sisi Latu
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Only fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed entry into Fiji.

The Government confirmed this week the only exemptions would be “a few emergencies.”

Nadi International Airport in Fiji.

Nadi International Airport in Fiji. Photo: Supplied/Fiji Airports

Despite the Covid-19 outbreak, now spread to the country’s remote islands, the government is optimistic international travel will resume soon.

Fiji expects to reopen its border in November this year.

The government also expects to vaccinate at least 60 percent of the target population by the end of October.

As of 1 September, 560,940 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 278,131 got both jabs.

The Health Ministry said this means that 96 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 48.4 percent are now fully-vaccinated nation-wide.

The Ministry said preparations are underway for new Covid variants, reportedly more transmissible than the deadly Delta.

International scientists have reported they were unsure how effective existing vaccines would be against C.1.2, a new variant.

The variant was first detected in South Africa in May and in New Zealand in June.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong Photo: Fiji govt

Fiji’s Health Secretary James Fong said only fully vaccinated people would be allowed into the country, apart from a few emergencies.

Dr Fong said it was important for Fijians to treat any Covid-19 variant as dangerous.

He said everybody has some control over their exposure to the virus.

He said a special team led by Sam Fullman – from the ministry’s border health team – with military and police personnel will provide the leadership needed to strengthen quarantine operations in Fiji.

Dr Fong said a border health protection facility has been established in the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) compound at Namaka, Nadi, to address any MIQ issues.

“We are also setting up a container laboratory in Namaka which has the capacity to process around 500 tests per day,” he said.

Dr Fong said the ministry would also establish a slot management system with Fiji Airways to put a cap on quarantine capacity to more manageable levels.

He said all personnel engaged in quarantine operations were fully vaccinated and strengthened by CCTV support and increased oversight.

Fiji's Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Faiyaz Koya.

Fiji’s Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Faiyaz Koya. Photo: Fiji government

Dr Fong said the team also wanted to create a no-blame environment where the ministry’s quarantine teams felt safe from discrimination for reporting any breaches or if anyone was feeling unwell.

“History has taught us many lessons, the scale-up required by this crisis has been phenomenal and we need to continue to adapt and learn as we respond.”

Last month, Tourism and Trade Minister Faiyaz Koya said the relevant industry partners had developed a re-opening framework.

Koya said Fiji’s goal was to safely re-open travel and tourism by December 2021 which was predicated on national vaccination rates.

“Our preparation is largely attributed to how we have come together, with a shared vision, to ramp up co-ordination,” Koya said.

He said the travel proposition had two goals – firstly, to minimise risks and keep both tourists and Fijians safe and secondly, to ease restrictions to maintain competitiveness.

“National factors will largely focus on acceptable test positivity and vaccination rates, as well as any new variant of concern.

“And, of course, on an individual level, we will look at vaccination status.”

Fiji now has over 16,000 active cases in isolation and the death toll is over 500.

New Lynn terror attack update: ‘Every legal avenue was tried’

By
Sisi Latu
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

The man behind yesterday’s terror attack in New Lynn was released from jail after three years in July after every legal avenue was pursued to keep him in custody, the Prime Minister has confirmed today.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster have held a media conference to update the New Zealand public on the response to the attack at the LynnMall in Auckland.

Watch it here:

A Sri Lankan national was shot dead by police after stabbing six people inside Countdown in LynnMall yesterday afternoon.

Seven people were injured and three people are in a critical condition after the attack yesterday.

While the man can still not yet be named, Ardern gave further details of his criminal history today.

The terrorist was 22 when he arrived in NZ in 2011 and it was not known he held extreme views. He came to the police’s attention in 2016 after he made concerning posts on Facebook.

He was arrested in Auckland Airport, where authorities believed he was travelling to Syria. In August 2018 he breached bail and bought a knife, and also assaulted Corrections officers while in custody.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during her update on yesterday's terror attack in West Auckland, Parliament, Wellington. 04 September, 2021. NZ Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell

Jacinda Ardern at today’s stand-up Photo: Pool / NZME

Ardern was briefed in May 2020 on the case. GPS monitoring was sought by the Crown but not imposed by the courts.

In July he was released into the community and surveillance began.

“In late July, I was given a written update on the case. On the 9th of August I met with officials and discussed further options to try and reduce the risk that this person posed to the community.

“In late August, officials including the commissioner of police raised the possibility of expediting the amendments to the counter-terrorism legislation. Within 48 hours of these discussions, the minister of justice contacted the chair of the select committee with the intention of speeding that law change up. That was yesterday, the same day the attack happened.

“As you can see, agencies used every tool available to protect innocent people from this individual. Every legal avenue was tried.”

She said she wanted to explain why the terrorist was not deported but can not yet because of suppression orders.

She said Parliament will pass the Counter Terror Legislation Bill by the end of the month. The bill makes planning and preparing for a terror attack illegal.

“As soon as Parliament resumes, we will complete that work. That means working to pass the law as soon as possible and no later than the end of this month.”

Ardern thanked National Party leader Judith Collins for reaching out with support for that.

She said it was not fair to make an assumption that the law change would have made a difference in this case.

“This was a highly motivated individual who used a supermarket visit as a shield for an attack. That is an incredibly tough set of circumstances.”

While she was unable to share his name, “this is not something I had any intention of sharing regardless”, she said.

“No terrorist, whether alive or deceased, deserves their name to be shared for the infamy they were seeking.”

She ended her statement with words from the Imam of Al-noor Mosque. “All terrorists are the same, regardless of their ideology. They stand for hate, we stand for peace and love. We have it within our powers to ensure the actions of an individual do not create a knock-on of hate, judgement and vitriol. I know, New Zealand, you will be kind. Please wrap your arms around all of our victims – those of yesterday and those of the past.”

Police surveillance

Commissioner Coster said there was nothing unusual about the terrorist’s actions before the attack yesterday.

He said all indications were the attacker was “planning for the future”.

He said the first stabbing occurred 60 to 90 seconds before the attacker was shot dead.

“Monitoring his actions has been entirely dependant on our surveillance teams being able to maintain their cover.”

The man was highly suspicious of surveillance so they needed to keep their distance.

Coster acknowledged the first aid given by staff and general members of the public at the scene.

He said there are people with extreme views but yesterday’s attacker “caused us the greatest concern”.

Police will maintain a visible presence around supermarkets and the terrorism threat level remains at medium.

Coster said they will be keeping an eye out for actions motivated by hate in light of the attack and that there was a lot of misinformation circulating around the event.

Covid-19 update: 20 new community cases reported in New Zealand, one new death

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand has fallen to 20 today, but there has been one further death, the Health Ministry has revealed.

A testing station has been set up for Assembly of God congregations in Māngere.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

There were 28 new community cases reported yesterday.

There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said a woman in her 90s who was a confirmed case of Covid-19 died in North Shore Hospital last night.

It said she had a number of underlying health conditions, which meant it was not clinically appropriate for her to receive ventilator or ICU care.

The woman was admitted to hospital on 28 August from home. She was a household contact of a case and had been confirmed as a case before admission to hospital.

“Her whānau was regularly updated and had the opportunity to speak with her regularly by phone. The whânau has been offered cultural support by the DHB.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who passed away.

“Every death is a reminder of the damage Covid-19 can cause when it gets into our community.

“Our older New Zealanders and those with underlying health issues are by far the most at risk from the virus and one of the reasons lockdowns are such an important tool to stop its spread.”

A family member told the Ministry this morning that he was urging everyone to take Covid-19 seriously and follow public health advice: “This is real.”

New Zealand’s official Covid-19 death toll now stands at 27.

It is the first death attributed to the coronavirus since mid-February. Prior to this, nobody in New Zealand had died from Covid-19 since September 2020.

There were also two cases detected in managed isolation today.

The total number of cases linked to the current outbreak is now 782 – 765 in Auckland and 17 in Wellington. There are now 43 cases in hospital, with seven in ICU.

Follow all the latest Covid-19 news with RNZ’s live blog.

Terrorism attack: Crown files urgent court action to lift suppression orders

By
Sisi Latu
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission. 

The Crown is seeking the court’s urgent lifting of the suppression orders which prevent the background of the terrorist responsible for the Auckland supermarket knife attack being made public, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

No caption

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The urgent application is being filed this evening.

The court action is the sequel to a terrorism incident at a Countdown supermarket at the LynnMall in New Lynn this afternoon.

During the incident a man armed with a knife injured six shoppers. All six have been transferred to hospital with three in a critical condition and one in a serious condition.

The man was shot dead by two police officers soon after the attack began.

At a media briefing this evening, Ardern said she wanted to share as much as she could about the attacker who was a Sri Lankan man who moved to New Zealand in 2011.

He had been under surveillance since 2016 because of his support for a violent ideology inspired by the Islamic State.

Ardern said by law the man could not be kept in prison, so he was being constantly monitored instead.

The man was tracked so closely by a surveillance and tactical team this afternoon that the police shot him within 60 seconds of the attack starting.

The reasons he is known to agencies is subject to suppression orders, but Ardern said it was her view that it was in the public interest to share as much information as possible.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Checkpoint this evening it was frustrating not all the details of the attacker could be revealed because of the court order.

He said he knew nothing about the individual beforehand but added, from his experience in government, the number of people under such level of police surveillance could be counted “on less than the fingers on one hand”.

“What’s frustrating for all of us who have just listened to the Prime Minister and the police commissioner, is that they were constrained from sharing all of the information that they know about this individual, because of a court order, and I understand that the Prime Minister of all people have to live under the law, and cannot go outside the law.

“But what is clear about it is that this person is an ideologically-motivated terrorist… It’s appalling that he could cause so much hurt in the space of a minute, just with a knife. But I guess the police interceded as quickly as they were able and ultimately, he has paid the price of his actions.

“This person, from the information that the Prime Minister has given us, was obviously a hate-filled person whose views were causing huge alarm to the police, but who had not acted in a way that the law enabled him to be kept them custody.

“Now, we’re having this bit of this debate a little bit over hate speech at the moment… people saying ‘people’s views are their views, and they’re allowed to express their views’.

“But people like this who obviously expressed views filled with hatred, based on his ideology, the fact that you can’t act against them, would seem to be a potential gap in our law.”

“I’m sure as well as the Independent Police Complaints Authority Investigation and the Coroner’s investigation, Parliament will want to look pretty closely at whether the law is adequate – albeit in a democratic society such as we have – when a person that constitutes a risk so severe that he’s kept under 24/7 surveillance, there can’t be action against him.

“I think that’s going to exercise the minds at Parliament in the months to come.”

Goff said he would not expect as mayor to be informed by police about particular individuals that constitute a risk.

“We regrettably have individuals like this and the individual that attacked the mosques in Christchurch. It’s not a common activity… and most of us just can’t understand the venom and the hatred that can be held in a person’s mind, that motivates them to act like that,” he said.

“But does that mean that all of us are unsafe in our community? No, New Zealand remains one of the safer communities around the world.”

1...364365366...967Page 365 of 967